Florida bicycle news and comment, with a special eye toward
making streets and paths more congenial to riders.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Staying safe on the road

When cars and bikes collide, it's usually the car's driver that caused it. That's what a Canadian physician (and cyclist), Chris Cavacuiti, found in research he began while recuperating from being hit by a truck. In an interview with Beth McIlroy, Dr. Cavacuiti also said:

Cycling health and safety isn’t just a matter of saying ‘let’s be safe’ and ‘let’s share the road’—but recognizing that more and better infrastructure investment is essential in keeping cyclists safe. By infrastructure, I mean things like shared or designated roadways and paths, traffic calming measures, increased public education, provision of safe storage facilities and other equipment that makes cycling a safe, convenient travel choice.

Research shows, perhaps not surprisingly, that countries and communities with more investment in cycling infrastructure have higher levels of cycling and lower accident and fatality rates among vulnerable road users—cyclists and pedestrians.